


Falling in Love

by Bluewolf458



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-05
Updated: 2010-03-05
Packaged: 2019-06-13 04:26:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15356217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: Blair realises he's fallen in love





	Falling in Love

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Elaine, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Artifact Storage Room 3](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Artifact_Storage_Room_3) and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Artifact Storage Room 3’s collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/artifactstorageroom3/profile).
> 
>  **Author's notes:** Yes, another obsenad

Falling in Love  
  
by Bluewolf  
  
Blair Sandburg lay on his back gazing up at the ever-changing pattern of the clouds, relaxing, enjoying the sunshine as he allowed his mind to wander. Meditation was not helping him; perhaps this form of pre-meditation would.  
  
It was so peaceful, just watching the sky, his mind empty of conscious thought...  
  
His memory moved backwards through time to the days when he had lain by Naomi's side, then as now watching the changing cloud patterns. Naomi had called it 'expanding his imagination', but he had always wondered if his mother really did see in the shape of the clouds the things she said she saw.  
  
"Look, sweetie, doesn't that one look like a big dog? And the one over there, it looks like a map of Africa..." To all her suggestions he had said yes dutifully, but he had rarely been able to see anything but the shape of big fluffy clouds.  
  
As he got older, however, Naomi had slowly stopped watching the clouds with him; and shortly after, during the year he turned nine, he in turn had stopped watching them.  
  
He had always been a solitary child, finding the company of books more constant than that of people and also finding that virtual invisibility was the best way to deal with some of his mother's boyfriends; and although some of them were nice to him, he quickly learned to take what was offered with a large pinch of salt, realising that they mostly hoped to impress Naomi by their 'generosity'; and his mother moved around so much that his budding friendships rarely had a chance to develop, and rather than expose himself to the unhappiness of losing friend after friend, he had chosen not to form any friendships at all. As he grew older he realised that he _was_ actually interested in people and - possibly because he had rarely had the chance to interact with anyone - their interactions with each other and their environment, and this in turn had led him to the study of anthropology.  
  
However, solitude was something that he had rarely experienced since he went to Rainier at sixteen. There were always people around, and a sixteen-year-old was subject to more scrutiny than most; the University authorities took their responsibilities to a student that young very seriously. Professor Buckner had considered him difficult, but the truth was, he had never learned proper social skills.  
  
Eventually he had learned how to make himself pleasant; the people he met liked him and thought that he liked them; but though it would have surprised them to learn it, he let none of them get close. His wide-eyed apparent naivety made him seem far more outgoing than he actually was.  
  
He always knew that he could turn and walk away and never miss any of them.  
  
Until now.  
  
"It's about friendship," he had said when he turned down the chance of a trip to Borneo. "I just didn't get it before." And that was true; he didn't get it because he had little experience of friendship. He had called Jim Ellison his best friend; in reality, Jim was the first person he had ever called friend, and meant it.  
  
Once, he could have turned and walked away without a second thought when Jim declared that he felt betrayed by Blair's actions concerning Alex Barnes. But having once used the word 'friend' of Jim, he could no more walk away without trying to salvage their relationship than he could have kicked a puppy.  
  
Now, however, he was beginning to realise that his feelings for Jim were going deeper, and he had no idea what to do about it; hence this visit to the roof to see what just allowing his mind to wander might accomplish.  
  
"You up there, Chief?"  
  
Damn. Jim _would_ arrive home early today of all days!  
  
He sat up as his roommate joined him. "Just sunbathing, Jim," he said mendaciously.  
  
Jim Ellison looked at him. "Fully dressed?"  
  
"Jim, have you ever seen me stripped off? I don't strip, man."  
  
"True." He glanced up at the sky. "The clouds are gathering. I think you've had the best of the sunshine, Chief. Coming back in?"  
  
Blair glanced up at the sky, noted that the fluffy cumulus clouds were merging to give a solid ceiling, and nodded. "Yeah, I'm coming. You wouldn't think it's been nice all afternoon, would you?"  
  
"That's Cascade for you, Chief. Stand still for five minutes and the weather changes."  
  
Blair grinned. "True." He glanced at his friend. "You OK, Jim? You're home early."  
  
"I'm not, you know. Usual time. You must have fallen asleep without realising it."  
  
Damn again. He had been so carried away remembering the past he had forgotten to consider the present. "Sorry, man. I meant to have dinner ready for you."  
  
"Actually, I'm glad it's not ready. Chief, I... I need to talk to you and I'm not sure how to start."  
  
Blair looked at the sentinel's face and frowned. "Is there a problem, Jim?"  
  
"No! Well, yes... but it's my problem." He fell silent for a moment, then blurted out, "Chief, I think I've fallen in love with you."  
  
Stunned, Blair could only stare speechlessly for what seemed a very long time. After waiting in vain for his guide to say something, Jim continued. "If you don't feel the same I can live with it, and I won't embarrass you by... well, by trying to convince you you feel something you can't. This is your home and it's not dependent on anything, anything at all."  
  
Blair said slowly, "So you're not asking for my ass in lieu of rent."  
  
"No."  
  
"Would you object if I offered it?"  
  
Jim's jaw dropped. "Off... offered it?"  
  
"You know the real reason I was up on the roof, Jim? I went up there to think without any distractions. I was trying to come to terms with having fallen in love with my big, butch, male roommate."  
  
Jim Ellison reached out and pulled the smaller man into his arms. Blair's arms went round his friend's neck. "I love you, Jim."  
  
"Blair..." His mouth took possession of his guide's, and then there was no more need of words.  
  



End file.
